X
- 2007
- PG-13
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
- 2007
- PG-13
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
Summary Based on the true story of an American pilot, Dieter Dengler is shot down during a top-secret mission. Taken hostage, he endures unimaginable conditions at the hands of cruel captors in a makeshift POW camp. Dengler's iron will to survive guides him and fellow prisoners in a meticulously planned, death-defying escape, only to discover th...
Directed By: Werner Herzog
Written By: Werner Herzog
- 2007
- PG-13
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
- 2007
- PG-13
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 6 m
Rescue Dawn
77
7.4
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Summary Based on the true story of an American pilot, Dieter Dengler is shot down during a top-secret mission. Taken hostage, he endures unimaginable conditions at the hands of cruel captors in a makeshift POW camp. Dengler's iron will to survive guides him and fellow prisoners in a meticulously planned, death-defying escape, only to discover th...
Directed By: Werner Herzog
Written By: Werner Herzog
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 36 Critic Reviews
77
92% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
8% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 36 Critic Reviews
77
92% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
8% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
An old-fashioned prisoner-of-war movie that becomes much more because of writer-director Werner Herzog's admiration for the remarkable true story of its protagonist, Dieter Dengler.
Herzog outdoes himself with Rescue Dawn, making his most popularly accessible film yet and proving at the same time that he is among the most daring of all filmmakers and capable -- like his characters -- of almost anything.
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 86 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
69 Ratings
69 Ratings
16% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
3% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 86 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
69 Ratings
69 Ratings
16% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
3% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Apr 30, 2017
this was one hell **** movie I enjoy pretty much all christian bales movies I had this as a burnt copy not knowing what it was orvwhat I was getting myself into when I put it on but so glad I did its one of his more better films alongside of the Batman's and american phyco movie..
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Jul 4, 2015
Rescue Dawn seems like a typical survival movie. Yes, it is. But the performance made this movie excellent. I have no idea how Christian Bale prepared for his role. Christian Bale is Brilliant!! Actually the whole cast is amazing. I even cried at the end of the movie not because I was sad, but because I was happy. In the end, I would say Rescue Dawn is an inspirational excellent movie and I am very glad that I just watched this beautiful movie.
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The scenes between Dengler and Duane, between a force of nature and a force of reason, are the real heart of the film.
In Bale, Herzog has found a talent who transcends the challenges of a brutal shoot. "Rescue" reveals new capabilities for an actor who's already proven himself in other intense and ever-focused performances.
By Matthew Sorrento FULL REVIEW
Rescue Dawn is Herzog's first English-language screenplay, and this is part of its problem: The hushed conversations between prisoners sound only fitfully idiomatic. Also--crucially--Herzog can't find a way to make his own big finish feel authentic, even if things did happen roughly this way.
Jun 18, 2014
One of very few movies about the epic Vietnam War that pleased me by the fact that the image of "brutal, heartless Vietnamese soldiers" were eliminated as you think about other flicks of the same genre such as "We were soldiers" or "The Deer Hunter". Rather than depicting the "cruelty" of the communist Vietnamese, which American people often saw in TV as a political propaganda for support of American idealism, Werner Herzog's "Rescue Dawn" focused on a man's determination to survive, and all possible risks he was willing to take as long as it gave him a chance to return home. I find the tale of a combat pilot's survival much more realistic and meaningful than that of two ground troopers playing Russian Roulette yet still living in "The Deer Hunter"
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Sep 13, 2024
Christian Bale makes friends and enemies alike in a sparsely-populated den of POWs at the onset of the Vietnam War. Undergoing yet another major physical transformation for the role, Bale lost a ton of weight to sell his emaciation, but it's often difficult to see his worsening condition as he's decked out in a big, baggy flight suit for its duration. There's a strange mood that lingers around the fringes of Rescue Dawn, something to pull us out of the moment. Maybe it's Bale's weirdly sunny disposition: even when he's being drug at gunpoint through the streets of a rough jungle village, he smiles politely at the dumbstruck townsfolk. It could be the simple, businesslike way the prisoners plot and execute their escape, which seems far too easy. Even the relationships between captives, carried out via hushed tones and late-night chats amongst shackles, have a floaty, dreamlike quality about them that doesn't fit their seemingly-horrible conditions. As a picture, it lacks a release: that one moment for the audience to stand up and cheer, or to even feel a sense of genuine worry over the cast's impending doom. I often felt removed from the action, as if I were reflecting upon it after the fact and glossing over the more grisly everyday challenges. It's nicely shot, with a genuine appreciation for the area's unique terrain and the helpless fury of its residents at a looming US intervention, but the story itself never moved me like I felt it should.
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Jan 25, 2019
Herzog adapts elements of his own documentary -- "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" -- into a narrative feature with "Rescue Dawn," a harrowing, if overly meditative study of survival, hope, and the cruelty of the world that surrounds us. Christian Bale, as per usual, delivers a stunning and devoted performance that's worthy of Oscar gold, but don't overlook veteran performers Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies either. All three actors pour an incredible amount of effort into their craft here, ultimately allowing an air of authenticity to really shine through. Again, it's a little bit slow for my tastes, but a really inspiring story overall. Would recommend, but not on an empty stomach.
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Dec 4, 2012
The crash scene was the worst I have ever seen. The flight instruments show the plane rolling yet the plane is in a descent. The VFX very poor. The music terrible. The story is not new. The best part is the ending. If you want a good Vietnam film watch Platoon or The Deer Hunter.
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Feb 15, 2011
Wow...I bought the movie for one dollar at the store, and it was a wasted dollar. My expectation was to see a movie that ****, mainly because Christian Bale was starring. I was right. Every movie he is in ****, and he is the main reason. Throw in a director, Werner Herzog, who I really believe either has a twisted mind, or is on drugs all the time, or both, and you get a film that is truly...weird. It is unreal. Bale is a POW, yet he acts like he thinks it is all one big joke. After being captured, he is dragged around the jungle by his captors, for what ? There is not one scene in the movie that is believable, starting from when his plane crashes, and he strangely comes flying onto the scene **** side...completely unharmed, to pretty much all of the dialogue, which simply makes you cringe. Howdy ? My god, that must be the stupidest thing ever said in a movie. The biggest problem with this film is the complete lack of intensity. It is simply boring. The second biggest problem is that none of the characters are developed, they have no depth, and they act unreal. Conclusion: I am not sure where Werner Herzog gets the money to make films, he really is not a filmmaker, he has no feel for making movies, whatever he does just nauseates the audience. As with many so-called artists, people gravitate towards the weird side because they think it has significance, which it has not. Weird is just that, weird. And yes, Christian Bale should have never become an **** ruins each and every movie he is in. Almost like Ben Affleck, I don't know which one is worse.
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Awards
Satellite Awards
• 2 Nominations
Village Voice Film Poll
• 2 Nominations
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
